We pursue peace through active nonviolence with skills training, peace team placement, education, and networking.
We understand that the primary violence in our world is structural and embedded in systems of oppression and domination.
We seek a just world grounded in nonviolence and respect for the sacred interconnectedness of all life.
MPT has four pillars of focus:
The first pillar is educating the public on the power and efficiency of nonviolence. This education is instrumental in showing the effectiveness of nonviolence as well as understanding and addressing the complex types of violence that people face, both direct and structural. It is our assertion that people need to understand that acts of violence are not only overt (i.e., physical attacks) but —just as threatening — systemic.
The second pillar is teaching people the specific techniques of violence de-escalation through our comprehensive skills trainings. This includes opportunities to learn effective bystander intervention training, comprehensive de-escalation skills training, and customized trainings that best meet the needs of the participants.
The third pillar is placing Unarmed Civilian Protection and Accompaniment (UCP/A) teams where invited — teams which MPT calls Peace Teams. Peace Teams are made up of volunteers trained in conflict de-escalation, and are placed at the invitation of those most directly involved in places of conflict where there is a likelihood of violence. These placement sites come in many forms: social protests, political events, direct actions, and conflict areas. Our Peace Teams have a proven record of success over 30+ years in the USA and abroad. We have placed international peace teams in Bosnia, Panama, El Salvador, Iraq, Haiti, Mexico, Canada, and within the First Sovereign Nations of the United States. We deploy regular teams to Palestine/Israel and to the United States/Mexico border. Additionally, we’ve placed Domestic Peace Teams (within the borders of the United States) all across the country.
The fourth and final pillar is networking with and supporting other peace and justice organizations in order to work towards a more collective community force of peace with justice.
